Do you know someone who suffers from cancer??
So do I.
My grandma.
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| She's beautiful!! |
My considerate, loving, generous (oh, so generous!), thoughtful, hard working, brilliant, brave (even if she won’t admit it, she is…so very brave), patient, selfless, confident, family-oriented, gracious, all-around awesome, grandma.
She has this uncanny ability to make you feel like you and all the small details of your life are equally as important to her as they are to you…every single time you talk to her. It’s unreal and makes this granddaughter feel very loved. I don’t know how she does it…
She’s one-of-a-kind.
If my grandma had lived in France during the medieval times she would have made her living as a jongleur, I’m sure of it. I never tire of sitting and listening to her eloquently retell stories from the past or simply read from a storybook. My fondest memories are lying in her bed before bedtime and listening to her read from classics like The Mitten by Jan Brett or Love You Forever by Robert Munsch…two of my favorites.
Another one of her specialties is gift-giving. She makes the best handmade cards for all kinds of special occasions!
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| I can just feel the love oozing out of these cards!! |
She will also go out of her way to make a special "just because" gift. Like the time she printed off several pictures of our vacation and put them in an album, or all the times she sends toys and coloring books for the kids.
I didn’t get to see my grandma very often; in fact, throughout my childhood we were separated by a vast countryside and a 2-day road trip. But, by golly, my courageous mother braved the trip to make sure my brother and I got to see this lovely lady (and her wonderful husband, my grandpa) every single summer, at least. Since our times together were few and far between, my grandma made every moment extra special. The times she took me shopping to spoil me rotten and then convince me to put on a fashion show to showoff all the loot; the times she put out art supplies like rubber cement, stickers, and rubber stamps with ink (I loved that stuff!!!) and let me create to my heart’s content for hours; the times she would patiently teach me how to type on a computer and play Kid Pix or Reader Rabbit; the times she would pour me a bowl of cereal (ya know, that sugar-saturated cereal not allowed at home…thanks mom for keeping me healthy! thanks grandma for the occasional treat!) for a late night snack and just chat the night away; the times she would make a fancy meal and invite guests to fill her home with love and laughter; the times she would take me onto her porch laden with sweet-scented flowers for a bagel breakfast; the times we would form a “game plan” for the following day together (I always looked forward to our game plans!!); and the times we would venture to their trailer on the lake to swim, play volleyball, go on picnics, ride the pontoon, make S’mores next to a crackling fire, and lounge in the sun with a good book in hand; all these times will forever be etched in my heart, never to be forgotten.
Now, the cancer… that yucky, yucky cancer, back for a third time. Phooey!
This past week I was able to go on a mini vacation and stay with my grandparents for a few days. Her strength blew me away. She fights through all the yuckiness and never complains. Like, ever.
I have this problem, whenever problems arise. I tend to just avoid them. I push them from my thoughts, and I try to pretend the difficulties of life just don’t exist or I minimize just how hard it really is, especially when the difficulties affect the ones I love. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t actually avoid my grandma, I just don’t like to dwell on the ideas of cancer and what it is doing to her body. Believe me, a day doesn’t go by without a prayer for healing, and Selah never forgets to lift up a sweet prayer for great-grandma Phyllis. But, for whatever reason, I just can’t get my mind to really understand what she is going through.
It was a little difficult to avoid when it was staring me in the face though. And it was a good thing for me to see. It was important for me to get an idea of what my grandma means when she says her counts are low, and now I can visualize and sympathize a bit better when she says she’s been at the clinic for a transfusion all day.
Not pleasant…
But you know what my grandma does when she’s feeling low? She hums; she hums a happy little tune while she keeps herself busy with this and that. She puts on music and belts it out loud. She cares for others. She never misses a birthday or special occasion like Easter, an anniversary, or retirement celebration. Remember how I said she was generous?? While at the hospital from sun up to sun down one day, you know how my grandma kept herself busy?? She rummaged through the hospital gift shops to find three perfect gifts for three special people… so thoughtful!!
She has every right to grumble and sulk, but she doesn’t! If anybody knows how to live a life sunny side up, it’s her! I love her so much; I don’t think I could ever express how much she really means to me! She encourages me and inspires me…she’s awesome. Please keep her in your prayers! She’s gonna beat this thing once and for all, I just know it!!
Love you Grandma!!
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